The International Piano Competition of the Chopin-Gesellschaft Hannover is held every two years to support talented young pianists at the beginning of their careers and provide them with performance opportunities. We invite talented young pianists to apply. The pianists selected by the jury will be invited to the final concert in Hanover on 20 February 2027.
Competition Rules
The competition is open to pianists of all nationalities born between 1999 and 2009 inclusive. In exceptional circumstances, the organisers reserve the right to waive this age requirement.
Competition process
The competition consists of two stages: a preliminary selection based on video recordings and a public final concert, to be held on 20 February 2027 at 3 p.m. in the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover (HMTMH). The final concert is open to the public.
The order in which the participants appear will be decided by drawing lots. The organizer reserves the right to make exceptions to this in justified cases.
Candidates may determine the order of works in both the preliminary round and the final concert. The program for the final concert must include at least one work by Chopin. Information about the pre-selection can be found on the right.
All works are to be performed from memory. The works performed for the video recordings may be performed again at the final concert.
The award ceremony will take place immediately after the final concert at the HMTMH.
Applicants are required to submit
A photograph and a completed application form, which you can download from our website under the “Competition 2027” section
A copy of your passport or ID card
A letter of recommendation from your music professor
A 30 – 45-minute video recording submitted via YouTube link or MP4 file. The recordings do not need to be continuous and may consist of several separate videos.
Approximately half of the program must consist of works by Chopin, including at least one Chopin Étude, one Mazurka and one Étude by another composer, and one or two other works of your own choice.
An application fee of € 80 Please do not forget to mention your name and the reference „competition 2027“. Payment should be made by bank transfer or per PayPal.
Our jury will select the finalists for the competition based on the video recordings. All applicants will be notified of the results by email by 20 January, 2027. The five finalists will be invited to perform in the final concert on 20 February 2027 at 3 p.m. in the Richard-Jakoby-Saal at the HMTMH.
Prizes
1st prize: € 9.000
2nd prize: € 7.000
3rd prize: € 5.000
Audience award: € 1.000
All finalists traveling to Hanover will receive a travel allowance of € 250,–.
The finalists will be invited to take part in the Masterclass which will take place in Hannover (Hochschule für Musik und Theater und Medien Hannover) 1 – 2 days prior to the competition. The Masterclass will be given by professor Andrzej Pikul.
The first-prize winner will be invited to perform as part of the concert series organized by renowned Chopin societies in Europe, including, for example:
A performance in Żelazowa Wola, Poland, Chopin’s birthplace, organised by the NIFC (National Institute Frederic Chopin)
